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In most cases, full time employees are granted 12 paid holidays per calendar year. Part time employees are granted paid holidays in accordance with their schedule and the terms of their collective bargaining agreement. The designated holidays are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

If you are required to work on a holiday, you will receive Compensatory Time off and/or pay in addition to your regular salary, depending on the provisions of your collective bargaining contract. Employees who are on paid sick leave or vacation during a holiday receive credit for the holiday; that is, the day is considered a holiday for attendance and payroll purposes and not counted as vacation or sick leave. However, anyone on leave of absence without pay over a particular holiday is not paid for the holiday.

VACATION LEAVE

Vacation leave is earned on a monthly basis. The amount of time you earn is based on the number of years you have been employed and the specific provisions of your collective bargaining agreement. Most employees who have been employed 0 to 5 years earn one (1) day per month; over five (5) and under twenty (20) years earn one and one quarter (1 1/4) days per month; over twenty (20) years earn one and two thirds (1 2/3) days per month. Part-time employees earn vacation leave on a pro-rata basis.

Vacation leave begins to accrue following one (1) full calendar month of service and is credited the last day of the month. You will earn vacation leave during your initial working test period; however, you may not actually use any paid vacation leave until successfully completing the initial working test period or six (6) calendar months of continuous service depending on the provisions of your collective bargaining contract.

Up to ten (10) days of unused vacation leave may be carried into the next calendar year. The maximum accumulation of vacation for employees hired on or before June 30, 1977 is 120 days and 60 days for bargaining unit employees hired on or after July 1, 1977. Permanent employees will be paid in a lump sum for any unused vacation upon termination.

All employees are encouraged to take a scheduled vacation each year to maintain their health and well being. However, you must request vacation leave in advance. The amount of notice may vary depending upon the length of vacation time requested and the staffing requirements of your work unit. It may not be possible to accommodate everyone's vacation needs at the same time.

In addition to vacation, full time employees are granted three (3) paid personal leave days per calendar year. Some part time employees may be eligible for pro-rata personal leave. Consult you collective bargaining agreement for specific terms and conditions.

As with vacation, you must request permission from your supervisor before taking personal leave time off. Personal leave days do not accumulate from year to year, therefore, they must be used by December 31 or they will be lost. Unused personal leave will not be paid in a lump sum upon termination.

Sick leave is accumulated at the rate of one and one-quarter (1 1/4) days for every full calendar month worked and is credited to you on the last working day of the calendar month. Part-time employees earn sick leave on a pro-rata basis up to full time equivalent. You are eligible to use accumulated sick leave during your initial six (6) month working test period.

In general, sick leave may be granted:

in the event of the employee's own illness

in the event of serious illness or injury to a member of the immediate family.

medical, dental or eye examination or treatment for an employee for which arrangements cannot be made outside of working hours

in the event of death in the immediate family

for going to, attending, and returning from funerals of persons other than members of the immediate family if notice is given in advance

to a parent at the time of the termination of pregnancy, adoption or taking custody of a child

Although sick leave may be used for the above reasons, you are strongly encouraged to accumulate your sick time for those instances when you will most need it, such as for long term illnesses and unforeseen accidents which may incapacitate you from working for an extended period.

Unused sick leave is not payable upon termination except at retirement. Upon retirement you will receive one quarter (1/4) day's pay for each day of unused sick leave to your credit up to a maximum of 240 sick days, which is the equivalent of 60 full days' pay. If you resign from State service in good standing and you are re-employed within one year from the effective date of your resignation, your sick leave balance upon separation will be reinstated.

Employees may be granted authorized absence from work during periods of maternity disability, at the termination of pregnancy, or upon the birth, adoption or taking custody of a child. Specific conditions regarding such absence including the specific duration and paid/unpaid status are governed by the FMLA, State Statute, and your collective bargaining agreement.

If you are summoned to court to serve as a juror, you will be eligible for time off without loss of wages or accrued time to cover your absence from work. Evidence of your summons and confirmation of attendance must submitted to your local Human Resources office. Those who receive such time off must remit the jury duty fee to the State.

Employees testifying in court concerning job-related matters may do so on State time. However, if you are ordered to attend court as a witness in a private capacity, you may or may not be eligible for civil leave, depending on the provisions of your collective bargaining contract.

Military leave with pay is available for active duty field training purposes up to a maximum of three (3) weeks per calendar year. If you are in the National Guard or a reserve component of the Armed Forces, you will be able to fulfill your summer camp obligations without losing any pay or vacation and personal leave benefits. In order to obtain such leave you must submit a copy of your official military orders through your supervisor to your area Human Resource office before going on leave. You should also notify your supervisor as much in advance as possible. Military leave with pay is also allowed for unscheduled emergency call-ups of 30 days or less

For more information about military leave consult your collective bargaining agreement or your local Human Resources office.

ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE

Administrative Leave is an involuntary leave of absence with pay during which an employee is required to remain off duty. The employee on administrative leave is expected to be available during working hours and is expected to cooperate in any investigation or other administrative procedure.

LEAVE WITHOUT PAY

Under certain conditions it is possible for employees to be absent from work for an approved period of time without pay. Time taken without pay is deducted from longevity and retirement and may affect accruals if it amounts to an aggregate of more than five days in a month. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the leave of absence, your job may or may not be held for you. You should be notified of the status of your position before the leave begins. If your position is being held, you will be able to return to your former job as long as you return to work upon the conclusion of your leave. If your job is not being held, you may not be able to return to work until a similar job becomes available. In either case it is important to keep your supervisor advised of your status. Failure to return to work following an approved leave of absence may jeopardize your employment status.

Medical Leave

This may be allowed under your collective bargaining agreement whenever a person does not have adequate sick leave to cover a long absence from work. If you exhaust your sick leave and you are still medically unable to return to work, you must advise us as soon as possible and submit a properly completed Medical Certificate to your local Human Resources office to document your continued absence. During such a leave, the State will continue to pay its share of your health insurance premiums but the employee is still responsible for paying their share. Also, you may be eligible to purchase or credit all or part of such leave for retirement purposes.

Educational Leave

Employees wishing to obtain higher education in a field directly related to their State job may apply for educational leave without pay to attend school. A written request for educational leave should be submitted to your local Human Resources office and should include a description of the educational program, the name of the school, and the period of leave requested. Questions regarding educational leave should be directed to your regional Training Division, your local Human Resources office or the DDS Office of Planning and Development at the Central Office in Hartford. All or part of your educational leave may be purchased or credited for Retirement purposes. You must pay your own health insurance premiums to maintain coverage.

Legislation at both the State and Federal level provides employees with special leave benefits in certain circumstances. The two key pieces of legislation (listed above) differ in many respects. In most cases, employees are eligible for the combination of benefits that is most favorable to them.

To qualify for federal FMLA, employees must have at least 12 months of total service and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of leave. ("Hours worked" does not include time spent on paid or unpaid leave). The maximum amount of leave is twelve (12) weeks total over a twelve (12) month period. Under the State family/medical leave act, permanent State employees are entitled to a maximum of twenty four (24) weeks of paid or unpaid leave within a two (2) year period due to a serious illness, injury, or impairment that required hospitalization or continuing treatment. For Military Family Leave under federal FMLA, the maximum amount of leave is up to 26 weeks in a 12 month period.

The circumstances covered under either the state family/medical leave or federal FMLA or a combination of the acts is as follows:

the birth of employee's child or adoption of a child by the employee (both); or

the placement of a foster child with the employee (federal only); or

the "serious illness" (state) or "serious health condition" (federal) of a child, spouse or parent; or

the "serious illness" (state) or "serious health condition" (federal) of the employee; or

for Military Family Leave to care for a seriously injured or ill covered service member or qualifying exigency.

For detailed information, contact your local Human Resources office.

UNPAID LEAVE LESS THAN FIVE (5) DAYS

The success of the Department of Developmental Services in carrying out its mission depends to a large degree upon the dependability of its employees. Absenteeism can have a severe impact upon the ability of our Department to provide essential services to our individuals. For this reason, a request for a leave of absence less than five (5) days shall be considered if the employee has made a request in advance for good cause. Approval shall be based on agency operating needs. While there may be situations beyond an employee’s control, which causes absence from work, to the extent possible, employees are expected to minimize absence due to unanticipated emergencies.